David Wieland

M Ljin wrote:This could go for ukulele or guitar or any string instrument with multiple strings—

The standard music notation system that you're using is independent of instrument and applies to wind instruments as much as strings. If you were looking at tablature for this passage, it would show a fretting shift. Exactly how that is performed is the player's choice, within the physical limits of body mechanics and the instrument design. Most of us look for the easiest, least stressful way (considering that playing an instrument isn't supposed to be an athletic event 🙂).

The sharps or flats in the key signature apply to all octaves unless overridden in a measure. You can think of those in the key signature as implicit -- just a way to simplify the notation.

It's been decades since I kept bees, but no book or beekeeper I consulted recommended such insulation. As another poster mentioned, some ventilation is necessary. Excess moisture is to be avoided. Shelter of some kind that protects them from bitterly cold wind is useful, but normal hives are weatherproof. Consider that wild bees survive winter cold without special treatment.

Ash Jackson wrote:...
Yes! I agree that local solar noon is the thing to be observed, and I wish more folks were of a like mind.

Here to grumble that we're still doing (or rather, that I'm still subject to) capricious clock changes.

That could work if horse-drawn coach was our fastest transportation. That sounds pretty permie, doesn't it? And how about sundials instead of motorized or electronic devices? If the sun isn't shining, we could just take our best guess. We could call it Worldwide Animal Standard Time (WAST), in full harmony with nature. But would my wife go for it? 🤔

Jay Angler wrote:
Alberta is already talking about joining us (fingers crossed), Saskatchewan never had DST, so that just leaves two provinces to "influence" before getting to your neighborhood.

Unfortunately, BC is getting rid of the "change", not DST. The people voted for DST by a large margin. It will make next Nov/December mornings *very* dark here as we tend to be very cloudy then. I'm already thinking of the "dawn simulator" lights that are available, to put in my bedroom. I had a Charlie Brown version decades ago when I had a worky job, and it really helped me get up in the morning.

For all the reasons that others here have mentioned and that health professionals advise, BC's move is truly unfortunate. Shifting BC's time zone from Pacific to Mountain, which is what they are doing, will reveal all the problems except the morning grogginess associated with the spring change. But if Alberta does end DST and stays on Mountain Standard Time, at least they will be in the same time zone, which might have some slight benefit.

In this case, "daylight" and "saving" sound positive, while "mountain" is neutral. Calling BC's move "permanent daylight saving time" is simply a triumph of marketing over honesty, but of course we see that in many other cases.

"Natural strings often go with non-fretted instruments.  And that frets were often made with gut string and moveable."

If soft sounding strings are the goal, then softer material is appropriate. Basic material physics dictates that repeatedly pressing a soft string against a hard fret will wear it faster than using (relatively) soft frets.

Movable frets are a feature of some traditional instruments -- the sitar is a notable example -- but that suits only particular styles of music.

r ransom wrote: (I tried to build a mind palace once, but could only get planning permission for a crawlspace)

I'm going to steal that. 😃

r ransom wrote:
And this one where he compares nylgut with gut strings

So. Yep.  Even over video with this crappy speaker, there is a significant difference fo the sound,

That's interesting, because I hear only a slight difference, with the nylon being just a bit brighter (probably from more overtones). This comparison review is fair, but another way to affect the sound, as the tester implies, is to use more or less fingernail. Flesh naturally results in a softer sound even on nylon (or steel). Similarly, palm muting softens and damps the sound, a useful effect for some styles or passages.

I didn't watch the video past the initial comparison. Did he ever mention lifespan?

M Ljin wrote: ... one can get 2oz of fibre silk for much less. Makes me wonder, could we spin our own silk strings?

Silk and steel guitar strings have been around for decades and have a different feel and sound from other kinds (https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/blogs/blog/whats-the-deal-with-silk-and-steel/). But like all guitar strings, the lower pitched ones have a thin metal winding layer to add weight without upsetting tension balance. As you can imagine, manufacturing wound strings is not a do-it-yourself project.

I mentioned in another thread that I don't enjoy changing strings, so I'm grateful for well-made, long-life strings. For that reason, I can't understand why anyone with other things to do (including playing the instrument!) would want to make strings that won't last nearly as long. Does permie orthodoxy favour compostable strings?

Although I don't think anyone ever said that barre chords are easy (except on a couple of YouTube videos), there are definitely better and worse ways to play them, even on a well set up guitar. I was going to link a video I (think) I recall from Jamie Andreas' Guitar Principles, but I can't find it right now. In any case, she emphasized starting with slow, no-chord practice in simply laying the index finger down across the strings with the thumb behind the neck but barely squeezing, paying close attention to the movement and avoiding unnecessary tension in the rest of the body.

r ransom wrote:I need to do a set up for the ukulele anyway. The intonation is nearly a full sharp/flat out on fret 12.  

Are you saying that the string clearance is so great that fretting at the 12th fret raises the pitch nearly a half tone? That's pretty extreme. The string-fret clearance on my uke at the 12th fret is about the thickness of two Canadian dimes.